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otakusheep15 · 4 months

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Winter Holiday with Twisted Wonderland

Hi everyone! It's been forever since I made an actual post. I've been trying to write for the past month, but the world just does not want me to lol. But I made it through 2023 and now it's the new year, so I thought it was time I post something again.

This is basically little blurbs of how I think the boys would spend their winter holidays. I'm trying to keep everything ambiguous since I don't know what they celebrate, and I also want everyone who reads this to feel somewhat included at least, so this is me trying my best. If it feels a little rough, that's largely because I'm still trying to fight the writer's block lol. Still, I hope y'all enjoy!

First Years

Ace Trappola: He mostly spends his time relaxing. It's not much different for him than any other season. He enjoys the vibes of winter, but he's not the biggest fan of the cold, so he does his best to stay inside. A big secret of his is that he'll secretly binge all of the cheesy romance movies airing around this time. He'd never admit it though.

Deuce Spade: A lot of his time is spent with his mom, as per usual. Lots of shopping days and going to winter farmers' markets. They also spend time at home drinking hot cocoa and watching holiday movies. He does also enjoy a good afternoon jog through the snow if it's not too much.

Jack Howl: He loves the winter very much. It's his favorite season. He spends most of his days outside playing in the snow with his siblings and enjoying the cold air. The one thing he dislikes his how he grows a double coat to keep him warm, meaning he sheds a lot more than usual. Other than that, he's having fun. Anytime it snows, his tail is going wild with excitement.

Epel Felmier: From dawn until dusk, he's either in the fields tending to crops or out in the crowds selling products. When he's done with work, he likes to curl up in front of a warm fire and work on his carvings. His hands always have to be moving, even when he's meant to be relaxing.

Ortho Shroud: He's spending time with his brother. Idia is not the best at socializing, so he does his best to make sure Idia has someone during these months considering how bad seasonal depression can get. He's also trying to help Idia get more out there, and enjoy the festivities of the season, even if he knows it won't work.

Sebek Zigvolt: He spends winter the same way he spends the rest of his time, with Malleus. Or, that's what he wants to be doing. Instead, he's given a vacation, much to his displeasure. So now he's spending time with his family. It's a little awkward being gone from his station for so long, but he will admit (to himself, begrudgingly) that it is somewhat nice to have a break.

Second Years

Riddle Rosehearts: Winter is always a bit strange for him. He's so used to spending it at home under strict conditions that it takes him some time to get used to the freedom he now has. He likes to spend his time sitting by a fireplace with a book and some tea. Now that he's independent, he likes having this time to relax instead of worrying about family.

Ruggie Bucchi: He spends time back in his childhood home. He visits his grandma and helps take care of the neighborhood kids. They're full of energy and like playing around when it snows, so of course he joins them. He'll also spend time cooking warm meals with whatever ingredients he can scrounge up.

Azul Ashengrotto: Winters are a busy time for him. It's the season of giving according to some, so he's taking full advantage in any way he can. He's striking deals with anyone he comes across and just generally doing the same shady things he usually does. However, he is also consciously taking breaks and making sure to spend time with his family, or at least calling them if he's above the surface.

Jade Leech: He's tending to his terrariums. Winter is not the best for a lot of his plants, so he has to give them extra attention lest they wilt. It's a lot of hard work, but he's very dedicated to them and he's willing to put in the effort. He also begins working on winter-specific plant life and fungi as well so that he can grow his collection.

Floyd Leech: He gets the winter zoomies. The cold makes him extra hyper and excitable, so he's running around a lot more than usual. Ever since discovering snow, he's loved it, so he's spending most of his time rolling around and playing in it. He also loses whatever loose sleep schedule he had and just passes out whenever his body physically can't anymore.

Kalim al-Asim: He prefers summer, but winter is fun too! While he is busy helping his dad and getting trained to succeed him, he still makes sure to take time to have fun. He and his siblings will go out and play around in the snow and just have fun however they can. He can't always handle the cold like his siblings can, but he does his best to keep up with them.

Jamil Viper: He's given a vacation on the request (read: demands) of Kalim, so he's relaxing. For once he has no responsibilities, and he's living his best life. He's making warm curry for himself and catching up on books he's never had the chance to read. He does have the urge to go back to work early, but he forces those urges away.

Silver Vanrouge: He's spending time with his father. Winter makes him extra tired, so he spends a lot of it inside sleeping. Lilia stays with him for a lot of it, and they bond. He'll cook warm meals and they'll watch movies together. They also make sure to visit Malleus often so that he isn't lonely.

Third Years

Trey Clover: The bakery is busy this time of year, so he's mostly occupied with that. He's baking, running the store, making deliveries, and keeping up with orders. There's very little free time, but the time he does have is spent with his siblings. They play in the snow together, watch movies, and drink warm cocoa by the fire. His parents will also join in if they have the time, which is even less common than him.

Cater Diamond: He's keeping up with all of the winter trends of course. He's taking selfies in the snow, reviewing all of the winter exclusive products available, and blasting classic winter music. He loves this time of year because of how festive and fun it is, but it also drains him very quickly on the inside, so the seasonal depression hits quick as well. He won't let it show though, at least until he's alone.

Leona Kingscholar: He does not care. The only difference is that winter is cold which makes him more tired than usual, but that's it. He might stay inside more to avoid the snow, but when you live in a castle, there's plenty to do inside as well, so he's fine. Cheka might force him outside, but he's not enjoying it at all. The snow bothers him and so do the festivities.

Vil Schoenheit: Most likely, he's working on a winter-themed project. A movie, play, photoshoot, something along those lines. It's tiring work, as per usual, but it's what he's required to do, so he does it. What he would like to be doing is relaxing, however. He actually quite enjoys the wintertime, so it'd be nice to spend it alone and without stress. If he could, he would relax at home, maybe even with his dad if he were free. They could finally spend time together and just be normal.

Rook Hunt: He's spending time with his family. It's so rare for all of them to get together, so it's nice to be able to see everyone at once like this. They are also a very competitive family, so many days are spent playing games and having fun competitions amongst one another. Board games, games in the snow, or just random games made up on the spot. It's fun for everyone.

Idia Shroud: He is, as expected, by himself playing games. He may go back to S.T.Y.X. if his parents request it, but he's not leaving his room. In his own way, he is being festive. He's playing winter-themed games, watching anime that takes place in the winter, etc. etc., but that's as far as he'll go. He's not the most fond of the winter festivities because that's normie behavior, but he might be convinced by Ortho to come outside and be festive at least once, as a treat.

Malleus Draconia: Usually, he's alone. Winter can be a lonely time for those without family. However, this year, he does have a family. He has Lilia and Silver, and Sebek too. They all make sure to visit him whenever possible, even if they can't be with him all the time during winter. After all, they do get their time off, so they're allowed time to themselves. However, they still visit him, and that makes him happy. He also spends time with his grandmother when she is available. Still, for a good majority, he finds himself alone, wandering the halls as usual. Sad.

Lilia Vanrouge: He's spending time with Silver at home, mostly. He makes an effort to visit Malleus when possible, but he's mostly relaxing on his own. He and Silver have fun bonding together, something they don't get to do often. He also makes sure to see Sebek and his family too. He tries to cook some hot meals for Silver, but Silver will not let him in the kitchen, so he's upset, but he's still having fun with his time off.

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oldguardleatherdog · 2 months

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The September 11th roleplay consulting post: a gift that keeps on giving.

Hey faithful folks and followers, friends old and new, it's late in the kennel and I've got an early class and should be in bed but wanted to drop a note about the 9/11 roleplay post where I offered to be a consultant for a Discord server reenactment that's picked up more than 100,000 notes since my addition last August.

Seven months down the road, it continues to draw comments and reactions that pop up from time to time in my mentions. A few are designed to work my nerve, of course, but the vast majority are a balm to my spirit. Most are variations of "he had me in the first half ngl", keyboard smashes abound, many make me laugh out loud, and I truly wish Tumblr allowed reactions or direct replies to tags because so many ask me how I'm doing, want to know more (and I still get direct messages about it, which I encourage), and express respect and warmth that makes my heart just want to burst.

I get a lot of grief across social media as a queer activist, especially these days, and my initial foray into Tumblr was marred by a 10,000-person brigading of a stoner post I made that was picked up by some 20-year-old in Scotland of all places who thought it sport to make fun of a 60-year-old pup player with AIDS ("I wish he died in 9/11" is a memorable comment, and I'm afraid I'll never forgive a certain were--something who joined in) followed by a mass reporting that wiped out my queer resource blog (and you can be sure I haven't stopped trying to get it restored)... but the reactions to my toss-off dark humor post as a September 11th Survivor have wiped that slate clean, and my time here is a joy and a blessing and always, always well-spent and worthwhile.

For the record: I'm doing fine. My PTSD is well-treated and rarely troubles me, my performance art and music career has never been more active and vital, and I'm working as a director for a trans rescue organization (www.rainbowpassage.org, please give us a look and spread the word), on the front lines of queer activism where I have always belonged.

I have a beautiful family whom I cherish, my Master and I will celebrate our first wedding anniversary in a week and my 62nd birthday the next day (15 years together on 4/20!), and I treasure each and every one of you. Thank you for reading my various barks and howls, for being a part of my Tumblr journey, and for your presence in my life.

Best woofs always, Animal aka pup bruzr

#information gladly given #you make the internet beautiful #animal j. smith #grampa mutt is looking out for you #always

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chaikachi · 7 months

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Hi, Chai! I've been following you for a bit, mostly for the RG content, and I've recently seen you talk about your other non-RWBY interests when I realized that I'm really curious on what other media do you like? (Be it shows, movies, music, games, books, etc.)

Oughh this is a very good question. I'll put them under a read more cause I have a feeling I took this question too literally and it might get just a little bit long because of that. 💦

I'm generally very passive with the media I consume and only draw as much RWBY as I do because RG has had me in a vice grip since V8E1 and isn't letting go anytime soon. 💀 But I do engage with lots of other stuff too! This isn't an exhaustive list, just ones I like lots or re-watch often enough.

Anime

I probably watch this stuff more than anything else. My favourite of all time is probably The Eccentric Family, both seasons. The art direction and the messages of the story just hit very hard for me and I re-watch it pretty much every year. My second favourite is Kekkai Sensen (i prefer the first over second season as they switch directors).

As for others enjoy:

Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood

Silver Spoon

Yona of the Dawn

Snow White with the Red Hair

Kyousogiga (recommend if you liked Kekkai Sensen)

A Lull in the Sea

Chaika the Coffin Princess [Now why does that name sound so familiar 🤔]

Anohana

Been really enjoying this season's shows and am looking forward to the Winter 2024 lineup (Dungeon Meshi and Yubisaki to Renren at the same time!!)

Shows

Dragon Prince

The Owl House

Good Omens

Games

Nier (2010),

Transistor

Pyre

Zelda Series (Ocarina of Time & Spirit Tracks are my favourites)

Nier: Automata

Honorary mentions to Grand Chase (an old MMO i used to be obsessed with), Avalon Code (a niche DS game that I really liked), Fire Emblem Awakening (a classic) and Animal Crossing (that I played like it was my day job in 2020).

Movies

Can only think of two live actions and the rest are animated/anime 😭

Stardust

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Howl's Moving Castle

HTTYD (1 & 2)

Kubo and the Two Strings

The Wind Rises

From Up on Poppy Hill

Penguin Highway

Books

I don't read as much as I did when I was a kid, but my top three are probably Runemarks, Howl's Moving Castle, and Stardust (I like the last two a lot because I liked their movies).

Webcomics

Used to be really into these and wanted to write my own before Webtoon kinda... gentrified the entire industry. But hey, I can still talk about some of my favourites!

Shaderunners (queer heist in a roaring 20sish setting)

Witchy (queer south East Asian inspired fantasy adventure)

Kochab (sapphic story between a skier that gets lost and meets a fire spirit I think? It's final updates are going up this month!)

Lady of the Shard (all time favourite. queer polyam lovestory between a goddess and her acolyte. Complete. I reread it every year, I love it so much. The rest of the authors work is also great, you might know them from Cucumber Quest).

Then lastly...

Music

I mostly listen to indie/folk more than anything else, with a bit of jazz/R&B thrown in for flavour. Favourite artists are probably:

San Fermin

Flock of Dimes/Wye Oak

Of Monsters & Men

Maggie Rogers

Florence & the Machine

Paper Kites

Matthew and the Atlas

Halsey

This list obviously isn't exhaustive because I have the memory of a goldfish but those are the highlights that came to mind at least.

Sorry for the long list, but thank you for the question!! It was fun to put all these in one place.

#ask #asks #anon #anono #long post

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queenbigg · 4 months

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*click*

"Me again."

Wind howled loudly as it passed through the hollow buildings.

"Pretty bad wind right now; Heard thunder ahead. I'm uh, gonna need to stay in tonight."

Survivor clutched the recorder in his metallic palm.

"Uh-"

"..."

"I've been uhm.. I- I've been thinking about, like, before.. again."

"But not- not like, y'know, before the apocalypse. I meant like, before I replaced my body.. I- I guess."

"..."

Springtrap pushed the bent door open, gazing out into the foggy, destroyed skyline.

He clutched the head of The Bear tightly, taking a few uneven, shaky breaths before moving forward.

That was around 500(?) years ago.

As time passed, and his body started to quickly break down, he realized he needed a way to keep moving.

He needed something new, something stronger and more resilient.

That's when he found a warehouse.

A warehouse with Fazbear branding on it.

Springtrap searched for scraps, anything to build himself up again.

A shine in the darkness.

Metallic.

An endoskeleton.

A body.

Springtrap began tinkering with it, trying to see if he could somehow transfer himself onto it.

New systems and subroutines were added, and eventually smaller fixes and cleaning were Springtraps focus.

The project took months, and Springtraps body had begun breaking down more, to the point where the rust had made movement incredibly difficult.

When the body was complete, Springtrap had to quickly come up with a way to insert his remains into the endoskeleton.

When he tried, however, the sheer strength of the springsuit crushed his fragile bones.

As a last resort, seeing as the neck connection mechanism on the endo was the same as his, Springtrap slowly began to unclamp his head from the rusting relic of a suit.

Carefully, somehow still controlling the springsuit, he held onto his head.

His spine dangled, gently swaying.

Then, due to his shaking, he felt his skull eventually move in the mask, then, fall out and land on the ground.

That was it. He was stuck.

At least, he thought.

He felt horror consume him as he heard his skull hit the ground.

His vision wasn't coming from it, however.

He was still looking from within the mask.

Quickly, he managed to clamp his head onto the new suits' neck.

He felt an indescribable feeling as he suddenly managed to raise a hand from the new body.

His old one fell limp, falling backwards and breaking apart.

He couldn't comprehend what just happened.

Had he somehow started possessing the mask?

Had he somehow transferred his conciousness to it?

And how was he moving the suit without a manual touch?

He stayed there that night, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation.

Of course, there was none.

With spare materials he found, he crafted himself a voice box.

Then, he left.

Survivor wandered out of the warehouse, carrying The Bear.

He left his skull in there, jaw still agape.

"..."

"Been a long time since I swapped out."

"I wonder if-"

"..."

"No- It'd be decomposed by now."

Survivor looked down at his recorder.

"I gotta stop.. Talking to these."

He stopped recording, and put out the campfire he'd started a few hours earlier.

Heavy rain poured outside, slightly flooding the streets below.

Survivor sat on his bedroll, grabbing one of the few weathered books he had found.

His rifle sat beside him as The Head beside him, taped to the wall, hung dormant.

Survivor read for a few minutes, before placing his book back into a satchel of his, turning off his lantern, and pretending to sleep.

He couldn't sleep, not since changing his body.

But he wanted to.

So he pretended.

Some nights it felt like he actually did.

Due to the rain, this was one of those nights.

It was nice.

#fnaf au #springtrap #storytelling

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torchwithin · 5 months

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November 2023 Recap

I am moving back to tumblr. It is sad I ever left. This was clearly the place to offer and receive too many words on obscure personal theories. So I have returned.

No one needs to read this. This is just a monthly entry I'd like to keep for myself, an emotional time capsule of the prior month.

---

Dear You,

I used to write these "newsletters" to a friend, and that spirit still feels right, although I am no longer friends with this person. That may change, but for now it is necessary.

November was my birthday month. What does this mean to me?

My birthday means a lot to me. It's a time to celebrate me! It's been harder to enjoy the new years because I've been doing my refreshes every quarter instead of waiting until the end of the year. It's my favorite activity, so I figured I should do it more often! And the more frequent resets are also very practical and productive. But now I need something else to make this year-end time feel more special.

This year I decided to get a tattoo and change my hair on my birthday month. These felt truly festive for my birthday month. The tattoo are the hedge witch stars from The Magicians on my left forearm. I have Howl blowing life into Calcifer on the same spot on my other arm. It makes me feel powerful to have these two power symbols on each arm to remind me of what I have access to. Howl who dodged his duties to his nation in favor of himself and Sophie. The hedge witches who will train their magic no matter what, even when barred from the elite magic schools. If the librarian's daughter who steals from the library had her own logo, I would have gotten that. I love this spirit of defiance, anarchy, and striking out on your own. Seizing power even at a cost, even against the law.

I was worried my tattoo appointment wouldn't go through, but since it did, it ended up being the perfect day. My love and I went to one of our favorite bakeries and got fancy cakes, and they gave us free macarons. They have a habit of doing this, and I am always unsure if they will do it again because I wouldn' t dare ask for freebies just because I received them before. But they do toss in extra treats, and it delights me every time. I'm really obsessed with Jujutsu Kaisen right now and have felt a bit feverish and selfish, so I've also been hesitant to press for more time with it. But my love asks if I'd like to watch, and that feels like another treat to indulge in. He drops me off at my tattoo appointment, and I can tell my artist is underwhelmed by the simplicity of my tattoo haha. But whatever makes me happy, he says, and he does a great crisp job of it. And we have such a fantastic conversation, the best I've ever had with an artist. I should do this every time, just ask about their tattoos and how they got into it and their favorite styles. It made me want to bring some monster tattoo for him to do since we both share an interest in mythologies. He also had this mellow disarming vibe that made me feel so safe to say whatever I wanted and go with the flow.

Towards the end of the month, I got a haircut, androgynous hair #2, my second time going this short. I've been dipping my toes into boyish androgynous hair as a way to ease into my masculine expression. It's such a nice birthday treat to get a scalp massage, to feel the warm shower spray whose jets are as numerous as hair and make me feel so smooth and pampered. My hair stylist made me feel extra special. She remembered me from last time and said she loves how adventurous I am, and she loves doing these unconventional kpop cuts for me. Their clientele tends to be more traditional. It makes sense. They're a very chic aesthetic place, not so much a rockstar place. My brother told me he has 3 different stylists depending what neighborhood he's currently in haha. Short hair is such a new life, gosh. It really does whatever it wants in the morning. It really needs to be styled if I want the texture to go a certain way. I have to do the unruly look on purpose, ha. I am learning that I don't really want it this short if the intention is to just let it air dry because then it's just fluffy and round and not super interesting. I might learn to style it into upright styles. That looks cool to me. I prefer short boyish past my cheekbones, but still fwippy, and without bangs.

This was also a month of healing love for myself. I had completely forgotten exactly when my love and I started talking again, so I looked through all our past emails to figure it out, and it slammed me with how I fell in love all over again. I instantly recalled the giddiness of that first email. I thought that by being in such a long committed relationship that I probably wouldn't experience those new love butterflies again, but I did just by going back in time. I promptly told my partner that he should send me emails whenever he has follow-up thoughts on any of our conversations, for I would like to keep them! I would like to have emotional time capsules of him as well. We've been together 9 years total, and I notice that this month is always a bit of a cursed month for relationships. I will end things, my friends will end things, either with each other or someone else. I think the scorpio energy grabs everyone by the neck and shakes you a bit. Terrible, but I love it. So I am promising myself not to start or end things in this month from now on, ha. Please, let us finish the month so that the autumn restlessness can be out of our system and we can make life-altering decisions from a place of sobriety instead of a place of byronic angst.

Every year, I've gotten a new tattoo, and each one has marked another year of freedom that I got away from my abuser. But as I read through those emails with my love, I got to flip the script. I have gotten a tattoo per year that I reunited with my love, that I chose myself, my dignity, and my happiness.

I'm extra proud of my love and me this month. It is month two of doing RADAR together. We recapped September and October this time, and I decided to modify the structure to be more effective for us than the original template. RADAR is a polyamorous resource in order to check-in monthly or even more often. Originally, it's a multi-hour affair, but I got it down to less than 2hrs. The idea is that you start with something positive by recapping the last month, then you discuss several life areas whether they are doing well or struggling. It is a great opportunity to validate what is good for extra good feelings, and it's a safe recurring space to address things that still weigh on us. And then you decide on actionables together and it ends with reconnection through compliments, massage or a nice outing. We've decided to just end in a kiss and to express gratitude towards what came up in the session as we got to relive the best parts of the prior month and we got to cover meaningful topics.

In other news of healing my heart, I healed my capacity to receive venting. Ironically I finally put up a boundary with the one who vents to me most, who re-taught me how to have more of a stomach for them, but he crossed the line. I've been so worried since my abuser that people will be inconsolable, so I get nervous listening to people's problems and woes. I get nervous if they will be okay. I've only been able to stomach a handful of friends who I know take care of themselves, and who I know will be okay regardless of my contribution, where my contribution does mean something, and who allow our friendship to be other things beyond just split misery. I am gradually expanding my capacity in both directions. I am less reactive to bad stuff, while still having boundaries about how much I can be expected to endure. I am getting out of my comfort zone and asking for more substantial reciprocity from others, while forgiving people's weaknesses so long as they are overall contributing in an active way. It is unfortunate how guilty I've started to feel for... being too empowered? Healing from codependency and narcissistic abuse means that I stop being a bleeding heart for the tears of perpetual victims. That's hard. I see someone in pain, and I want to help. But not everyone is capable of benefiting from you, and so I have to check, did people bring their own cup or do they expect me to provide everything? I can't be the only uplifting force in the relationship. This is really an early December issue, but alas, it is coming up now, here.

I reconnected with some other key aspects of myself this month. I reconnected with my tumblr-style activism. It disturbed me how much my perfectionist attitude was from internalized fear of my ex, and not my true feelings. Sure, there are plenty reasons where I've refined my activism and now prefer to speak from a mental health lens instead of social justice terminology. But I know myself, and I know that my voice that wanted "only the most positively impactful" news over general news was just avoidance I had picked up to survive my ex. Nothing was ever good enough for him. But I thought, "wait a second!" Back in my tumblr days, I didn't look for the best takes. I took it all in broadly, and then zero'd in on the best takes. I didn't avoid the heavy news and useless actions. I skimmed, discerned, and selected where to allocate my energy. Leena Norm's video defending the value of "small actions" woke me up to how much I like doing every little good thing I can. recycling, reusable cups, asking for people's pronouns, spaying/neutering your pets. It is hard to feel like our actions are very important, but we can definitely do little things so that we are not part of the problem. Spaying my cats prevents this world from having even more homeless kittens. It prevents the trouble of having unsuitable parents who give up perfectly great cats. I was always doing little things like this. When did I start to lose confidence in every minor action? It's good to be back.

I also thought of how much I used to admire my ex, how I would hide behind people who seemed stronger, how I always longed to be strong, and I can now proudly say, I am strong. I know who I am. Naysayers can't shake me so easily. I will go boldly into disagreements, and we will come out of the other side of discussion with more fleshed out ideas. Just like my first book club in forever. It was so refreshing to be back in what felt like a college-level discussion. People who read and are passionate about what they have read. It felt so safe to have different views, and my unique perspective contributed to others appreciating things from additional angles. And likewise, I benefited similarly from them.

#my words #nov 2023 #november #emotional time capsule

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selene-tempest · 2 years

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I'm alone in the flat tonight, but I don't feel lonely. It's a rainy, windy, cold night in Camden, but I don't feel cold. I'm warm and safe inside and I love it. It's something I often find myself missing when I'm on the island, we never get a truly cold, rotten night like this.

I quite like the cold months, they're not my favourite, but there's always something positive to love about them. Winter for me has always been a time of reflection, of semi-hibernation where I take some time out to focus on self care. It's a time of indulgent activities that I rarely have time for back home.

It's funny how I've come to count the island as home more than this place. But I guess it's true, home is where the heart is, and my heart is with them.

But that doesn't stop me enjoying my time away and making the most of it. This little flat has always been my sanctuary since the moment I moved in. At first it was my refuge from the nastiness of my past and a place where I could truly be myself without anyone judging or telling me I was wrong. Then it became the place where I fell in love, where I spent quiet nights talking to the love of my life, drinking in everything he wished to share with me, getting to know the amazing man that he is away from International Rescue and his duties. Just him, just John, with no siblings to compete with for attention, and just me, with no fear because this was my place and I was safe here. Then it turned from my refuge to ours. Our place to snatch some quiet time without brothers popping up at random times, where we could be ourselves by ourselves.

Yes, right now I'm alone but I'm not lonely.

Tonight I'm curled up on the couch, under a blanket my nan made years ago, wearing a hoodie I stole from Jeff a few days ago. It's well worn, but that just makes it softer and more special. It's warm and cozy and it smells like Jeff and the inhumanly strong aftershave he wears and it still feels like a dad hug. I'm wearing one of John's T-shirts and a pair of Gordon's sweats and I'm comforted by the knowledge that I'm surrounded by my family even when I'm not there.

I'm alone but I'm not lonely.

When I moved in one of the first things that caught my eye was the antique wood burning stove set back in the old fireplace. It hadn't been used in years but my dad paid to have it serviced and the chimney swept so I could use it. It's lit now, crackling merrily, the colours of the flames dancing on the walls just as the flames of my candles are. I've got no other lights on, I don't need them.

I've got a flask of hot chocolate so I don't have to move, I've got a book on my lap, soft music on the stereo and a big bar of chocolate. This is my spot for the rest of the night. I've nowhere to be and nothing to do but please myself and that's a good thing. Once upon a time I might have felt useless, like I should be doing something for someone but now I'm content to know that I do enough, I am enough.

I'm alone but I'm not lonely because I know I could go home if I wanted to.

But I like it here. The rain is battering the windows, the wind is howling around the building, the trees are swaying outside and I think I just heard one of my neighbours bins take off down the road. Yet, being Camden, there are still people outside, shrieking as the rain soaks them to the skin, running as they try to get away, yelling for taxis that haven't turned up yet and calling goodbye to their friends.

I'm alone, but I'm not lonely.

There's a quiet peace in the noise of the British weather outside. The rain is comforting, its pitter patter on the glass reminds me of nights I spent at my grandparents house where I'd lay in bed with Nan and she would read to me until I fell asleep. John does that sometimes, he'll start reading something that he found interesting in his book because he wants to share it with me and, even though I understand maybe ten percent of it, I'll listen and I'll relax just as I did then.

I'm alone but I'm not lonely. I'm lucky. I've had bad times in my life but they are outweighed by the good. There were times when I was so terribly lonely when I wasn't alone because I wasn't with the right people. It was only the thought that those right people had been there and still were there that got me through.

I don't have to worry about that now. I know that I could reach for my phone and talk to someone that wants to talk to me, someone that wants to be there for me.

Others might think this is a rotten night and wish they were on a tropical island somewhere where the sun is shining and the palm trees are swaying. And I can understand that, I used to be like that, but tonight I don't.

There is a peacefulness in solitude if you care to find it. I'm physically alone through choice and I'm not lonely because I know that I'll never truly be alone again.

#john tracy #gordon tracy #jeff tracy #selene tempest #thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds 2015 #thunderbirds fandom #thunderbirds fanfiction #witchy #healthy relationships

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awritingcaitlin · 9 months

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10 First Lines

@elbritch-kit tagged me for this a month ago! 👋🏻 Sorrynotsorry I'm late!

Anyway, I've done a couple of these before, but this one's rules is very specifically:

rules: share the first lines of the last ten things you’ve written

So, uh, this should be interesting because fun fact about me, I rewrite the same stuff over and over again.

🔥TBW: Mama Cass normally prided herself on her composure.

🥃LGO: In all honesty, Rinnie was too drunk to remember who hit the bed first.

👩‍🦰RA: “Where are we?” Taryn asked.

🎻ROTG: A Temple of Adelus wasn’t her favorite place for a gig, but considering Em was avoiding Seamus Finn establishments, she’d take what she could get.

💥SB: The wind on Berthingtonn’s eastern docks always seemed to blow far more strongly than it did on the west side.

♟TGG: “Eileen,” Aravae said, trying to put enough warning into her tone that Eileen would get the message, but not so much warning that Finley would pick up on it.

💨WH: “Wind’s howling,” Teagan mutters in her best Geralt impression.

❄CTQ: Two women walked along the busy evening streets of Himmelmauer, their course pointed towards the castle.

🍲AEB: First there is chaos, and then there is cold.

💎TWS: Rinnie is on a beach, but it's not a beach she recognizes. The magic feels different.

Okay, that actually wasn't too hard to track down all things considered. I feel like elaborating with more stats, so I'll do that under the cut.

But first, I'll tag: @sentfromwolves, @tananaphone, @legiomiam, @mjjune, and @muddshadow (no pressure, anyone!)

The Brewing War: aka Book 1, it's up at the top of the list (most recent) because it's been in steady revisions of it since April. That first line? Totally new.

Lights Go Out: is a character study of Rinnie, Aravae, and Ciara and I was writing it separately from TBW because that content does not actually belong on the pages of TBW, but it's up there because I wrote it in June.

Redheads Abound: is a AU fanfiction essentially combining my characters with characters from 3 others writeblrs on here. Wrote that back in April.

Relic of the Gods: aka ViolinHeist, happens in the same universe as TBW but is not a prequel. It got a few revisions in April, but after rewriting the first three chapters of Draft 3, I set it down to let other stuff percolate in the back of my head.

Siege of Berthingtonn: aka Book 2 got some edits back in March, though that first line is older.

The Great Game: aka Book 4 where I've done bits and pieces of that so that's the first line I've written but it's definitely not Chapter 1 or a prologue even. That was back in March.

Wind's Howling: is a flashfic I wrote back in February. Experimenting with present tense.

Cure for the Queen: aka Book 3. It got finished back in March of 2022. April-August was ROTG Draft 1, August-October was then SB Draft 8, November-February was ROTG again which explains the break and reemphasizes that I just write the same things over and over again.

Soup 2 Another Electric Boogaloo: was something I was working on back in October of 2021 (in between working on CTQ). It was fanfiction of fanfiction and I wrote it primarily while still working at GameStop because I could just write it on my phone.

Team W Shenanigans: was also something I was working on back in the Fall of 2021, same time as AEB. It was fanfiction that Rinnie was also involved in.

Hilariously, Rinnie never seems to get first lines unless it's a character study, or fanfiction. I should probably change that. But also, Rinnie's not really a candidate for the prologues of the main series of books so there's also that.

Okay I'm done rambling now. Have a cookie if you read this far 🍪

#tag games #10 first lines #my writing #the brewing war #redheads abound #relic of the gods #siege of berthingtonn #the great game #cure for the queen #mama cass #rinnie #taryn #em

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mischief-lies-and-stories · 6 months

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10 (Vaguely) Loki-Related Facts About Me

It's my birthday month! In honor of my birthday month, here are 10 facts about me that in some way relate to Loki. Some things I've already alluded too, though.

I've already said this, but I'm also genderfluid and bisexual (I personally consider Loki to be pan, but they're somewhat similar sexualities and MCU Loki is apparently bi.)

When Thor said, "I love snakes," I felt that on a personal level. I inherited my love of snakes from my dad, and I love lizards, too. And I have Alligator Loki/Croki merch and comics, but while I love most reptiles and won't hesitate to reach for one if it's close enough to touch, I'm actually terrified of alligators and crocodiles. No matter how small. I love Croki because he's Loki and I love all Lokis except President Loki who can choke. Kid Loki in the show and Thor in the comics holding Croki like a baby is the sweetest thing I've ever seen. But I wouldn't ever go near him, Loki or not. (And unlike most things I'm afraid of, I can pinpoint the exact moment that caused me to fear alligators.)

According to Al Ewing, Loki's birthday is December 17, making Loki and me both Sagittarius. I think the sign fits Loki more than it fits me, though.

My favorite author is Neil Gaiman, because his book Norse Mythology I've read four or five times. I also love Good Omens and The Graveyard Book. I'm still trying to get through The Sandman, American Gods, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

My favorite Loki fic by me is Like the Dawn (thorki), with Phantom Limb (Theo/Loki) taking a very close second. My favorite Loki fic not by me is the To Know You Anywhere series by triedunture (thorki) and Our Way, No Takebacks by dinosuns (lokius). I have a list on my phone notes app of the fics I've read since February 2020 (no reason behind the date, that's just when I started listing them), and typically all I include is the title and the pairing (which makes it hard when I'm trying to find it again). But this fic is one of the few (I think there might be one other entry) that has actual reaction commentary beside it.

My all-time favorite movie is Thor Ragnarok. Since this is on-brand and unsurprising for me, my second and third favorites are Cyrano and Howl's Moving Castle.

Unlike Loki, I am the oldest in my family (and I'm not adopted, as far as I know). But like (MCU) Loki, I have a brother and a sister.

I have dressed up as Loki once for Halloween and once for an event at a Renaissance Faire. I'm on an eternal quest to find a version of the Coat that fits me, so I can finally be AoA Loki.

I narrowly missed the off-the-walls Loki craze of 2012. I didn't start watching Marvel movies until mid-college, 2013/2014. I didn't read comics until after Ragnarok came out and I learned Thor and Loki had a sister in the comics who wasn't Hela and I saw panels from Original Sin showing Loki's canon genderfluidity. But I'll be honest. I know who I was in 2012 (*cough* destiel shipper *cough* Seriously, the only reason I personally was not involved in the OG Mishapocalypse was because 1. I still have no idea how they pulled some of it off, and 2. I'm afraid of April Fool's Day, and used to avoid the internet for the duration of the holiday so I missed the entire thing.) So if I'd been a Loki fan in 2012, I would have for sure been insufferably cringe and eleven years later would be at least a little embarrassed by my antics. (I learned how to write sonnets in high school English and proceeded to write dozens from the perspectives of Dean and Cas, guys. I wrote a 50+ page self-insert spn fic pairing myself with Balthazar that I thankfully never posted to AO3. I was wild in 2010-2012. Which is not to say I'm not wild now, but it was a different Time.)

I legitimately think about the failure of the half-hearted representation of Loki's genderfluidity in the show, and why it's such a problem, at least once a week. This mental rant has been happening since at least 1x03 aired.

#loki #loki tv show #loki comics #loki fanfction #about me #alligator loki #genderfluid loki

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baked-hylian · 1 year

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I started a little late on my new years resolution to read more (I started mid february to be specific,) but in no particular order here is my full list for 2022

Novels

Black Water Sister — Zen Cho

The Jasmine Throne — Tasha Suri

Gideon the Ninth — Tamsyn Muir

Harrow the Ninth — Tamsyn Muir

Nona the Ninth — Tamsyn Muir

Tian Guan Ci Fu (Heaven Official's Blessing) — Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (volumes 1-4)

Mo Dao Zu Shi (Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation) — Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (volumes 1-3)

Iron Widow — Xiran Jay Xhao

The House of the Cerulean Sea — T.J. Klune

Under the Whispering Door — T.J. Klune

1984 — George Orwell

Among Thieves — M.J. Kuhn

Ishmael — Daniel Quinn

Shutter Island — Dennis Lehane

Frankenstein — Mary Shelley

Jurassic Park — Michael Crichton

The Hollow Ones — Chuck Hogan and Guillermo del Toro

Good Omens — Terry Pratchet & Neil Gaiman

Howl's Moving Castle — Dianne Wynne Jones

Novellas/Short Stories

Animal Farm — George Orwell

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water — Zen Cho

Spirits Abound — Zen Cho

Manga

Cells at Work: Code Black — written by Shigemitsu Harada, art by Issei Hatsuyoshiya (volumes 1-4)

Chainsaw Man — Tatsuki Fujimoto (volumes 1-11)

Delicious in Dungeon — Ryoko Kui (volumes 1-11)

Jujutsu Kaisen — Gege Akutami (volumes 0-18)

Made in Abyss — Akihito Tsukushi (volumes 1-10, plus the 4 anthology volumes by multiple authors and artists)

My Dress-up Darling — Shinichi Fukuda (volumes 1-6)

Spy x Family — Tatsuya Endo (volumes 1-8)

Witch Hat Atelier — Kamome Shirahama (volumes 1-10)

Light Novels

Ascendance of a Bookworm — Miya Kazuki (part one: volumes 1, 2, 3)

The Faraway Paladin — Kanata Yanagino (books 1, 2, 3)

Re:Zero—Starting Life in Another World — Tappei Nagatsuki (volumes 16-19)

Re:Zero—Starting Life in Another world Extras — Tappei Nagatsuki (volume 1)

Further thoughts and comments on some things below the cut

I never thought I'd clear through this much in under a year? Especially considering the last couple months I've been a little lax in reading. Typically I read at work on break and before my shift starts if I'm early, but I've been hit or miss for that so it wound up taking nearly a month for me to finish Good Omens.

Some of the series above are definitely in the reread category, but there's others that left me a little disappointed. Like I had heard so much positive talk about Klune's works, but I was left kinda disappointed with Under the Whispering Door, however maybe it was the subject matter, because I did also enjoy The House on the Cerulean Sea from him. And others like some of the classics I've read through, Idk maybe I'm spoiled, but I like having frequent paragraph breaks? And at least with Orwell in particular, he seems to really enjoy going nearly a whole page without one break. Which wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't nearly ever 5 or so pages.

Definitely going to be rereading The Locked Tomb series entirely once Alecto the Ninth is out, I love the batshit wild ride that series puts you on.

Anyone who is curious may have noticed that I started with volume 16 for Re:Zero—that series is long okay? I opted to start with the beginning of arc five, since the anime ends with the conclusion of arc four. I do however plan to go back and read the other arcs, however I'm not in a major rush to finish them off since I doubt season 3 is coming any time soon.

I've also discovered that I enjoy some movie/television adaptions of books, now that I've read multiple while having watched the movie back to back. Maybe it has to do with a more mature understanding of good and bad in everything. However that still isn't going to make me rewatch The Last Airbender anytime soon lol

It's also super true: anime is just a commercial for the manga. Seriously, nearly every new series I picked up and really enjoyed I picked up the manga. The quickest was Spy x Family, next Chainsaw Man but holy, I only have two manga series I've been reading that don't have an anime adaption (although Witch Hat Atelier has an anime announcement from last year, so probably only another couple until that happens.) Although I would love to see J.C. Staff animate a Dungeon Meshi anime.

I think going into 2023 I'm going to look for more non-fiction books to check out as that seems to be an area I'm greatly lacking in.

#me squinting at my bookshelf from across my room: who's the author again?#Also had to wait to post this to the last possible moment #as I hadn't actually finished 1984 #cause sir your paragraphs are ridiculous for me :(

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rhysismydaddy · 3 years

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Prisoner's Game Pt. 1 (Rowaelin)

Synopsis: Aelin Galathynius never thought of herself as a vengeful woman. Until her boyfriend not only testifies, but leads a case against her that lands her in prison for the rest of her life. Post I-Love-You's. He didn't believe her, and she's about to show him that not only is she innocent, he made the worst mistake of his life betting against her. To a woman with nothing but time, life's just a game, after all.

The cinderblock wall dug into her back uncomfortably as she reclined against it, the air in the room was stale, and she hadn't showered in two days. By any measurement, Aelin Galathynius was far from her best.

And yet she somehow managed to look perfectly at ease--happy even--as she lounged in her cell, toying with the ends of her too-long hair.

It was a ruse, of course, just a little trick to piss off the man currently stomping into her space. By the flare of Rowan Whitehorn's eyes, it worked.

"Hello, Rowan," she greeted pleasantly, giving him a little smile and acting like it wasn't taking everything in her not to use the makeshift knife under her pillow to gut him like the spineless coward he was.

She could tell, even across her 8x12 cell, that he was gritting his teeth and fighting a similar action.

The heel of his expensive Italian loafers clicked as he walked across the space to the small table and took a seat at the steel chair in front of it. He tried to push it out further, but stopped when he realized it was bolted to the floor.

"Aelin," he said back, none of the so-obvious anger he was feeling present in his voice. "Been a long time."

Eight years, six months, three weeks, two days, and thirteen hours.

Not that she was counting or anything.

She nodded her agreement, reclining further on the bed and crossing her legs as if she was in the finest dress she owned, not a faded orange jumpsuit.

"What brings you to my side of town, Rowan? Here to finally switch sides and represent me?"

Dressed in a two-thousand dollar suit and tie, hair perfectly gelled back, he looked like he was successful a lawyer meeting with a wealthy client, but they both knew the last thing he'd ever do was work for her.

"You know why I'm here."

She did indeed, but she still said, "I must be exceptionally smart to know why you've come all the way here-"

"Cut the shit," he snapped, finally losing a bit of his cool. He regained it quickly, though, and continued, "I want to know how you did it."

She frowned at her split ends. "Did what?"

Rowan waited until she looked at him to respond. "You know what."

Sighing so deeply it should've rattled the walls, she said, "I can't believe I've spent the last eight years thinking you underestimated my intelligence. You clearly think I'm some sort of oracle genius."

Rowan mimicked her sigh, and she bit her lip to stifle a laugh.

Probably trying to stall, he spent a moment looking at her cell, at the completely bare walls and lack of photographs. All she had was the tally marks drawn in pencil on one wall and a dusty chess set sitting on the table.

When he'd taken inventory of those two things, he sat and just looked at her.

It was clear she wouldn't admit to knowing exactly why he sat in front of her, and he was simply putting off being the one to fold.

Predictable, proud little man.

Eventually, he took his loss and said, "I want to know how you managed to rob me from inside the most secure prison in Rifthold."

She smiled, a full, undulated smile she hadn't used in a long time.

She'd been planning this moment since the day the bars had locked behind her, and it felt damn good to finally see it come to fruition.

According to what she'd heard, definitely not what she knew from personal experience, the private vault in Rowan's apartment had been broken into. Apparently, only one thing was missing: an antique dagger that had been handed down in the family and was now worth over a million bucks.

"Why do you think it was me?" she asked, still smiling.

He gritted his teeth some more, and she internally snickered at the idea he'd have permanent tooth damage because of her. Something else to remember her by.

Green eyes spitting flames at her, he growled, "You left a goddamn business card."

Aelin forced her eyes up to the empty bed above her head, trying her hardest not to laugh. "Maybe I'm being framed?"

"Your fingerprints were on it."

She did laugh then, then laughed some more when his eyes narrowed. He looked like he was about to strangle her. "Rowan, in case you haven't noticed, I'm incarcerated."

She gestured around them to her cell to prove her point.

The bastard just smiled.

Of course he knows that, she thought bitterly, forcing her hand back to her lap and away from where it'd started to creep toward the pillow.

"So how would I rob you?" she asked, getting her mind back on track.

"That's what you're going to tell me," he demanded angrily. "I want to know how you got out of here, got all the way across Rifthold, broke into my apartment, and stole from me without any surveillance camera picking it up."

Aelin ran a hand through her hair, fluffing it just right. When she caught sight of the impatience on his face, she fluffed it some more and readjusted the thin jacket on her shoulders.

It was always too damn cold in this place. She hadn't been warm in almost nine years.

Because of him.

Just for that, she fluffed her hair some more.

Then she said simply, "I didn't."

"Stop lying!" he shouted at her, eyes flashing.

She wasn't, but that was besides the point.

"Fine." She rolled her eyes like he'd won. "I got my cousin to-"

"Aedion spent the night in Wendlyn. His travel is verified, and there are at least a hundred eye witnesses that witnessed him singing karaoke all night. Stop. Fucking. Lying."

Once again, she wasn't lying.

Aedion sure as hell hadn't been in Wendlyn last night. She'd just wanted to make sure his alibi was air-tight as planned.

Sighing again, she asked, "Rowan, even if I did do it, why the hell would I tell you about it?"

His jaw worked for a moment, and she could tell whatever he was about to say was difficult for him. "I'll get time off your sentence if you tell me what you've done with it."

She tried not to laugh, but she couldn't help it.

It burst out of her, full and uncontrollable, and she flopped over on the dirty mattress and howled for a good few minutes.

He glared at her, looking for all the world like he was experiencing a portion of the rage she was made of, but regardless of the threat in his eyes, she took her time composing herself.

"I'm serving ten consecutive life sentences, you idiot."

One for each and every one of her "victims."

"I'll make it nine," he offered generously.

"Even if I was a cat, that'd still leave me dying in a prison cell. Offer me something else."

He just glared at her, unwilling to give her anything she could actually use or want. Just like she'd expected.

"That's what I thought. So no, Rowan Whitehorn, I'm not accepting your little deal. You can think I robbed you all you want; hell, you can even know, in your famous gut, that I did it." She tilted her head, a cruel smile filling her lips. "But it isn't about what you believe, it's about what you can prove. Isn't that right?"

His eyes shuttered at the words, and just like that, they were sucked into the memory of all those years ago.

~Eight years ago~

~Rowan~

Rowan rolled over, edging away from the woman next to him carefully as to not wake her.

Her hair was spread out on his chest, her soft hand was on his stomach, and her leg was draped over his. By all accounts, she was all over him.

And it felt so fucking good.

He'd never met anyone like Aelin before. Anyone so full of life, so hilariously open.

It was like she was constantly on fire, flitting from one place to the next with endless energy and jabs about him being too old and slow.

"What are you going?" she murmured, nails digging in slightly to keep him where he was.

"To get some water. Go back to sleep."

He leaned down and kissed her brow, and she sighed happily and rolled over. Like a total cliché, he watched her sleep for a moment, trying to get his feelings under control.

They'd been seeing each other for less than a year, but he couldn't imagine his life without her. He was in love with her, and if the way she acted and smiled around him was any indication, she loved him, too.

He ran a thumb over her cheekbone, smiling when she tilted her face into his touch.

He was whipped, and he didn't even care.

Rowan shook his head at himself, pulled on a pair of boxers, padded to the kitchen, and held a glass under the faucet.

Then frowned as it sputtered.

He figured he'd at least make himself useful, knowing damn well she would never agree to call the plumber when she could "figure out how to fix it herself on Youtube."

So he knelt down in her kitchen and opened the cabinet door, trying to see what the problem with the pipe was.

Except he never got that far.

His eyes got stuck on the piece of paper sticking out under a false piece of wood covering the back panel.

Knowing it was wrong to pry but somehow unable to stop himself, he tugged the paper loose.

Then fell backwards to his ass, heart hammering and brain spinning as he read it over and over again.

The list of names wasn't long, but all ten of the people on it were highly distinguished members of society.

And they were all dead.

He wouldn't know that, since the death of the last person on the list wasn't even public record yet, but he was the attorney working with the police to find the killer.

Why did she have this list?

And what did the numbers next to the names mean?

One way or another, he knew he had to find out. He also knew he couldn't ask her. He was in too deep, too unbiased to know whether or not she was lying.

He didn't trust himself with her, so he'd have to go the traditional route.

He took a picture of the paper quickly, tucking it back where he'd found it. He snuck back in the room to get dressed, leaving her a note he had to go to work.

He thought he was going to be sick as he left her apartment, a feeling suspiciously similar to dread coiling in his stomach.

There was only one way she could know that last name, only one explanation that made sense.

But he had to know for sure. Had to know if he'd been an idiot this past year; an idiot who'd spent almost every night sleeping next to the killer he'd been searching for.

So he started investigating his girlfriend.

Six days later, he found the security deposit boxes and the murder weapons inside, still covered in dried blood that would be matched to the victims. All with Aelin's prints on them.

Two days after that, the woman he'd thought was the love of his life was arrested on ten counts of murder.

Despite the tears she shed, despite the promises she made to him, despite the love she claimed to have for him, Rowan told the cops everything.

Even though he couldn't imagine her killing anyone.

"It doesn't matter what I believe, it matters what I can prove."

That was the last thing he'd said to her, right as she was being dragged out of the court room and yelling at him to believe her.

The truth of the matter was that when it came down to it, he didn't trust her enough. The facts were against her, everyone on the jury had been against her, and in the end, Rowan was too.

~Present~

~Aelin~

Rowan shook his head, almost like he needed to clear it from the memory they'd obviously both been immersed in, and she smiled.

She hoped what happened all those years ago still haunted him, hoped he went to sleep at night thinking about her and the betrayal he'd served to her on a silver platter.

The first year of her sentence, she was so lost in emotion--in the rage and confusion and deep, deep hurt--that she couldn't bring herself to do anything.

He hadn't even bothered to ask her first. That's what had hurt the worst.

He'd seen that stupid, stupid list and had jumped to the first conclusion possible.

She knew it had looked bad, had looked like she was guilty, but she'd thought that if the worst happened, he'd at least ask her to explain before slapping the cuffs on her.

But he hadn't. She'd gone to prison, and his career had exploded into stardom from the success of the case.

"See, Rowan, when you refused to accept any other explanation other than the easy one, you made a mistake. Because I didn't kill those people."

He rolled his eyes. "Aelin-"

"And I'm not only going to prove it," she continued as if he hadn't spoken, "I'm going to ruin your precious little life while I do it. Just like you did mine."

She stood, put a hand on the steel table, and leaned over him.

"If you want it to stop, all you have to do is drop these bullshit murder charges and issue a public apology for locking me up in the first place."

He stood too, so close his loafers brushed the toe of her dusty, prison issued sneakers.

"That's never going to happen," he promised, voice uncompromising and angry.

Aelin smiled, having predicted his reaction down to the facial expression.

His pride, she'd decided, would be the first thing to go.

She reached around him to slide the pawn on the chess board forward, leaned in even further, and whispered, "Let the game begin, then."

~~~~~~~~~~

Part 2

@perseusannabeth @cursebreaker29 @a-bit-of-a-cactus @elriel4life @girl-who-reads-the-books @aelinfeyreeleven945tbln @live-the-fangirl-life @ireallyshouldsleeprn @highqueenofelfhame @gracie-rosee @rowaelinismyotp @nahthanks @ghostlyrose2 @lovemollywho @inardour @tillyrubes10 @claralady @tswaney17 @rowanisahunk @superspiritfestival @thegoddessofyou @awesomelena555 @booksofthemoon @greerlunna @jlinez @studyliketate @over300books @justgiu12 @maastrash @aesthetics-11 @bamchickawowow @b00kworm @sleeping-and-books @musicmaam @hizqueen4life @maybekindasortaace

#rowaelin #rowaelin fanfiction #rowan #rowan whitehorn #rowan x aelin #aelin galythinius #throne of glass #throne of glass fanfiction

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vdlest · 3 years

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The Roommate

Characters:

TFATWS!Bucky Barnes x Neighbor!Reader

Summary:

Bucky Barnes as your neighbor is a good thing, especially when you need company. You two instantly became friends ever since he heard you listening to classic songs, and that you prefer "old but classic" stuff. To make the long story short, you fell for him, but when you confessed your feelings for him, he avoided you. And you thought that's how your beautiful start would end.

Warning:

Fluff

This is why you sometimes hate Sundays, you have nothing to do, and you're bored as fuck.

There's nothing to watch on Netflix, you have no new books to read, and no new episode of a podcast to listen to. So at the moment, you are just lying on your bed, staring blankly at your room's ceiling.

If only you're still living with your ex-roommate, Ana, the two of you must've talking gossips and having conversations about life nonstop. But she's not here since she moved to a different State last week already for a new job opportunity. She didn't want to leave you but she can't say no to a job opportunity, and you can't keep her from achieving her dream as well. So here you are, hoping that your next roommate will be just like Ana.

You were about to grab the remote control of your television inside your room when your phone vibrated, signaling that you have a text message.

Hey, I saw your post on the internet and that you're looking for a roommate. I'm interested and hoping we could meet today somewhere so we could discuss it.

You frowned a bit when you noticed that the sender of the message didn't mention any name nor introduce himself/herself.

Just when you're about to reply to this text, you received another message from the same number.

I'm Sam by the way.

Now that this sender finally introduced himself/herself, your confusion vanished, and decided to meet with this potential roommate of yours. Although you're still not quite sure whether this Sam is a guy or a girl, nonetheless, that's not important. What's important for you is that he or she is not a bad person and a heartbreaker.

You agreed to meet with your potential roommate in a nearby coffee shop in an hour. So you got up and went your way to your shower to prepare for this unexpected meeting.

The moment you entered the coffee shop you and your potential roommate agreed to meet on, you grab your phone and dialed the number of the person you're meeting, Sam.

Well, at least, you're not gonna die out of boredom. ───────────────────❥

"Hello?" you began when you heard that Sam already accepted your call, "This is Y/N. I'm already here in the coffee shop. Can you like raise your hand so I could see you?" you asked.

You roam your eyes around as you wait for Sam to answer in the other line.

"I'm right behind you," a familiar voice spoke on the other line.

Your heart skipped a beat when you heard that familiar voice.

You slowly turn around and see for yourself if your hunch is right about that familiar voice.

Hell, you are right.

It was him. It was Bucky.

It was the man you fell for.

Your eyes met his blue eyes when you face him. He was still holding his phone to his hear when you two face each other.

Seeing him now made you remember how you told him that you like him and that you're starting to fall for him already, and at the same time, you remembered how he walked out of your apartment and broke your heart into pieces. He left without any words. He just left and avoided you from then on.

Well, not until this day came.

"What the hell are you doing here?" you asked him straight on his face as you end your call with your supposed to be a potential roommate and put your phone inside your bag, "And what kind of sick joke this is?"

Bucky took a deep breath as he moves a step closer to you, "You have every right to be mad at me, and I won't question it. I've been a jerk, an asshole, I get it. But I was hoping you'd listen to me," he said.

You scoffed, "Listen to you? Listen to the guy who walked out on me on the night that I confessed my feelings? That's a bit absurd, don't you think?" you sarcastically smiled at him as you ask him. You shook your head, "This is going nowhere. So long, old friend."

You were about to walk past him when he gently grabbed your wrist to stop you from walking away from him.

"Please, Y/N. I'm begging you," he made you face him again, "I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't mean to avoid you as much as I didn't mean to love you."

Love you? He loves you?

He nodded, "Y/N, that night you told me that you like me and that you are actually falling for me, I was the happiest man alive. But that happiness faded away the moment I remembered who I am, and who I was. Instantly, I realized that you don't know me that well for you to love me that easily," he explained.

"Let's say you really do love me and that there's still I need to know about you," you pull back your hand away from him and crossed your arms in front of your chest, "Why tell me now? Why confess to me right now?"

"Because I fucking love you damn much already," he answered back immediately. He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes for a second before he started talking again, "I tried my best to forget you, to forget what I feel for you but it's fucking too impossible. So I thought that if I'd let you know who I really am, who I was, I'll leave you the choice whether you still want to be with me or not."

You can't believe that this is happening right now.

A month ago, you realized that you don't have every time in the world to take your time to confess your feelings for Bucky, so you did confess to him. However, he broke your heart. And now here you are, you are very tempted to kiss him right now but you fought the urge to since you are curious about who he really is.

Bucky extended his hand towards you, "Come with me."

You took a glance at his hand before you look at him again, "I don't know, Bucky," you looked down and shook your head, "You already broke my heart and I don't think I have enough trust in you to come with you."

He chuckled, "You have a swiss knife on your bag, you have a pepper spray, if I do something vile to you, use it. I won't fight it," he assured.

Despite the heartbreak he gave you, you won't deny the fact that he's still charming to you. So yes, you ended up saying yes and coming with him.

➽──────────────────❥

"What the hell are we doing in the Smithsonian museum, Bucky?" you ask him as you both walk inside the museum.

It was a long drive from NYC to DC. You fell asleep the whole time you two were on the road. You wanted to ask him why does he have to take you to DC, but you were too tired to give a damn. So you let him take you to the place that will show you who he really is.

But you never thought you'd end up here in the Smithsonian Museum.

He didn't answer you, instead, he leads the two of you inside the exhibit made for the legacy of Captain America, Steve Rogers.

You chuckle and shook your head as you both walk inside the exhibit, "If we're planning to steal Cap's shield, I hate to break it to you but there's a new Captain America already," you joked.

"Yeah, I know," he casually answered, "I know him."

Your brows furrowed as you look at him, "The former Captain America or the new one?" you asked him, not sure if he's kidding or not.

"Both of them," he sighed and stopped walking. He faces you, "Before we proceed," he grabbed your hand and sighed again, "I want you to know that I love you, I really do. I also want you to know that I'm sorry for breaking your heart, for hurting you, but there's a lot of reason why I had to do it."

Your heart melted the moment he told you that he loves you. It wasn't the first time, but it feels like it. You wanted to tell him that it doesn't matter who he was and who he is because, for you, love is love. It doesn't give a damn about anyone's real identity. But you two have come a long way to back out now.

"Ready?" he asked you.

You nodded, "Yeah. I'm ready."

You and Bucky walked a few seconds more, but your body froze the moment you saw his picture inside Captain America's exhibit. He was beside Captain Steve Rogers.

"Battle tested, Captain America and his Howling Commandos quickly earned their stripes. Their mission, taking down HYDRA, the Nazi rogue science division."

"Bucky?" you murmured when your eyes landed on the picture of the guy standing next to you. You took a glance at Bucky and he was just looking at you and what your reaction will be. You look over Bucky's shoulder and saw a portrait of him plastered in a glass. You automatically walked there and check it for yourself.

"Best friends since childhood, Bucky Barnes and Steven Rogers were inseparable on both schoolyard and battlefield. Barnes is the only Howling Commando to give his life in service of his country."

There's both so much and too much to see in this exhibit, not the Captain America part, but the part where you realize that your neighbor, the guy you fell for is actually not the man you thought he is.

Beside Bucky's glass mosaic, you saw a video presented near it. It was Bucky and Captain Rogers.

"You weren't really kidding when you said that you knew the former Captain America," you said when you saw Bucky on your peripheral, looking at you, watching you.

"He's my best friend, and even he's gone already, he still is," he said.

You and Bucky walked around the exhibit more. He also showed you around Captain America's exhibit and even showed you the uniform he wore during his Howling Commando days.

You have no idea what to think or feel at the moment, but one thing's for sure, your love for him didn't fade away even if you knew who he really is and who he was, not even after he told you that he was the infamous Winter Soldier. You still feel the same for him and you have no idea why. Maybe because love is love.

After you two went ou the Smithsonian Museum, you two walked around the National Mall.

"Why did you think that showing me these would change my mind about you?" you asked him, breaking the silence between the two of you.

"Because I--"

You cut him off, "Because you assassinated people in the past?" you stopped from walking and faced him, "Or because you are a hundred and six years old man?"

"Y/N, you know---"

You cut him off again, "No, I don't know, Bucky. So tell me," you chuckled and shook your head, "Does these things supposed to change my mind? My heart? What I fucking feel for you? Well, sorry it didn't! Because even after I found out that you are Cap's best friend, that you were one of his Howling Commandos, that you were the Winter Soldier, and that you are an Avenger, I still feel the same way for you, I still see you as the guy I fell in love with, I still see you as my neighbor who likes Marvin Gaye so much that he listens to it through night and day, I still see you as Bucky Barnes," you told him.

The whole time you two were walking around the museum up to this scenic place in DC, you have nothing in mind aside from the fact that you were actually fascinated about who he really is.

Finding out that he's an avenger, that he's making this world a better place and saving it from going chaotic made you love him even more. Even the fact that he's a hundred and six years old man doesn't bother you at all and doesn't change how you see him.

"And if those things you showed and told me why you broke my heart, then I must tell you," you wiped your tears away, "You just wasted your time because it didn't change the fact that I love you. You told me that you're giving me the choice whether I still want to be with you or not, and I made my choice now, Bucky," you walked closer to him and held his right cheek, "I want to be with you."

Bucky held your hand that was on his cheek, and your eyes landed on his gloved hand because now you know why he was always wearing a leather jacket and covering his hand with gloves.

So you grabbed his hand and slowly remove the glove he was wearing, when you look at him, he was surprised by what you did.

"This is the hand that I will always hold onto, the hand that I will always choose to hold," you smiled at him.

You finally felt his vibranium hand on your cheek as he wipes your tears away, "I'm sorry if I had to hurt you that way. I'm sorry for breaking your heart, but I'm already here and I will not leave you," he pulled you closer to him and kissed your forehead, "I got you now and there's nothing else I could ask for," he pulled you again and this time it was the tip of your nose he chose to kiss, "I love you," he said before he finally claims your lips with his.

His lips dance with yours, and with every sway, you felt his longing, his love, and care for you. As cliche as it sounds, it was truly like your love for each other. It was pure and true.

"Who's Sam by the way?" you asked him after you two kissed, "Wait, Sam Wilson as in the Falcon?"

He nodded, "Yeah, the new Captain America. I asked him if I could use his name because I know you won't answer my calls," he said and sighed, "Anyway, you might have to take down your post about looking for a roommate."

You frowned, "And why is that?" you asked him.

"Because I'll be moving in with you," he revealed, which made your eyes widened in surprise, "Only if you want to of course."

You chuckle as you nodded, "I would love that."

"Just to be sure, you're my girlfriend now, right?" he asked you.

"For a hundred and six years old man, you're the most slow-moving one," you joked and run your fingers through his hair as he wrapped his arms around you, "I'm yours and you're mine, Bucky Barnes."

-v.dl

#Bucky Barnes #Bucky #Bucky Barnes x Reader #Bucky Barnes x You #Bucky Barnes x Y/N #Bucky Fluff #Bucky Barnes Fluff #Bucky Barnes Fanfiction #Bucky Barnes Imagine #Marvel #Marvel Imagine #Marvel Fluff #Marvel Fanfiction

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sirenascales · 3 years

Text

-> double black [part five] 18+

-> Chuuya x 1stPOV!F!Reader x Dazai

-> Who knew getting fired from work could lead to this?

-> Content: SMUT, slight angst, violence, murder, swearing

The killer is revealed! What surprises are in store? [Chuuya x 1stPOV!F!Reader x Dazai]

2,420 words

warning: mentions of domestic violence and rape, violence and straight up murder

note: here we go... this is the second to last chapter :) hope you all enjoy reading! no smut again lol

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Final || masterlist

"This place... is creepy as hell," I mumbled under my breath, glancing curiously over at Dazai as we climbed out of the car and started walking towards the large abandoned factory. "Are you sure this is where Ranpo told us to go?"

"Yep~ He's usually never wrong, so there must be something here we can find~" Dazai sang, nonchalantly walking inside the factory. I sighed deeply and quickly followed him, shivering at the creepy aura it gave off.

"Ugh, does somebody really hide out here? It's giving me the creeps," I whined, hugging myself and rubbing my hands up and down my arms.

"What if there are ghosts here?" Dazai wondered and I shuddered deeply, fear striking my heart at the mere thought.

"Don't say that!"

"Will you two shut up?" A third voice spoke up and my eyes widened in surprise.

"Chuuya? What are you doing here? And... who's that?"

In the middle of the factory, Chuuya stood before a man tied up to a single chair, a linen bag over his head. Chuuya had a deep frown on his face, obviously extremely irritated with something.

"Wh-who is that?! Please, help me!" The man begged, howling in pain when Chuuya kicked him in the stomach.

"Shut the hell up!"

"Is that the one?" Dazai asked and Chuuya nodded. I looked at them in confusion.

"The one... what?"

"This," Chuuya started. "Is the one that's been stealing from the Port Mafia for well over a year. Along with that bastard Taichi."

My jaw fell open in shock, not expecting that at all. "Wh-what do you mean stealing?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. Taichi was in charge of moving product and bringing back the cash from the Northern area of the city. He's been getting his hands in the product, selling them little by little on the side to line his pockets." Chuuya seemed to grow angrier and angrier by the second as he explained. "We've been investigating that thief for three months and we finally pieced it together. Thanks to you." Chuuya's angry gaze is now on me and I feel my heart drop to the ground.

"What do you mean? Me?" I stuttered, looking over to the man as he began to struggle in his chair. He rocked from side to side, pleading loudly for his life.

"Please, let me go!"

There was a large bang! followed by a scream as Chuuya swiftly brought out a handgun, shooting the man right in the head. I was the one who screamed.

"I hate disloyalty," Chuuya spat, his voice cold. His equally icy glare narrowed on Dazai, who didn't even react to the man being killed, unlike myself. My now shaking hands were clamped over my mouth, in shock by what I've just witnessed.

"So tell me," Chuuya began, now turning to face me. "How is it that you knew that Taichi was meeting a drug dealer... the dead man at your feet specifically?" He didn't even give me a chance to answer before he continued. "How did you know that? Were you there?"

I rapidly shook my head, heart thudding in my chest. "No!" I exclaimed, taking a step back.

"Really? Taichi was killed in the South. That wasn't his area, and he wasn't even assigned to move the product. Hasn't been for months since the investigation started." Chuuya's voice was even, and it sent shivers down my spine. I took another step back. "Well? Explain yourself."

I gulped, absolute fear coursing through my body. I could feel the sweat slide down my temple and. "W-well, I overheard him talking about what he does for you. So! I just assumed..."

Chuuya scoffed, laughing dryly. "Plausible, yes." He dug into his coat's inner pocket and I gasped sharply when he held up my knife. I was stunned, thinking I had lost it, but Chuuya had it all along. Suddenly, that day I went to visit him in his office ran through my head, and I realized that was when I last saw my knife. Fuck.

I felt a sense of dread wash over me.

"I know you take excellent care of this knife, clean it regularly. Except for the blood in the hilt."

"And the bloody clothes I found under the sink in your bathroom," Dazai finally spoke up and I gasped sharply. "You probably should have thrown those clothes away before you had me sleep over. You know I like to snoop," He continued on as I clenched my shaking fists. Dazai circled around so he and Chuuya now stood before me, tall and intimidating. "You're the killer, aren't you? Actually, you don't have to answer that. We already know that you are."

I didn't say anything, my lips pulled in a thin line as I stared at the ground. I started to breathe a bit heavily, heart pounding and my blood boiling with the anger and rage I tried to keep at bay from the moments I wake up in the morning to the time I go to sleep at night.

"Well?" Chuuya yelled, growling. "Aren't you gonna say anything?! You killed him!"

I lifted my head up, and the two men looked genuinely surprised at the look in my face, eyes dark and narrow and full of anger. I was seething, but I couldn't help the sick, twisted smile that grew on my face. "And what if I did?" I asked, tilting my head to the side. "Hell hath no fury, right?"

Suddenly, there was an almost inhuman shriek as a figure jumped out from behind the men, knife brandished and slicing right at Dazai. Dazai luckily dodged it, the figure landing on its feet before standing tall. Dazai and Chuuya are both shocked, as they now stared at the perfect clone of myself. The clone didn't give Dazai any time to process, running towards him again and slicing almost wildly with the knife in hand.

"My, what a turn of events!" Dazai exclaimed a bit excitedly, taking in my clone's features. She looked exactly like me, except she looked more wild, her face contorted into one full of rage, anger and anguish with a seemingly endless stream of tears pouring down her face. Her movements were erratic, cries leaving her mouth as she lunged for the attack.

Meanwhile, I had engaged in a fight with Chuuya, but even I could immediately tell just how outmatched I was and that I had no hopes of beating him. Still, I threw a punch at him, able to get him right in his cheek, but he quickly retaliated with a harsh kick to my side. I cried out in pain, clutching my side.

"Are you crazy," Chuuya hissed. "Ability user or not, I'm one of the best martial artists in the Port Mafia! You're not beating me!" He dodged yet another of my punches, jumping back before he kicked me again right on my torso. I grunted in pain, falling on one knee.

"I'm afraid I don't like you," Dazai told my clone as he ducked down to dodge a wild swing. He quickly shot up, successfully headbutting the clone. She cried out in pain, covering her face with her hands as she fell back, Dazai reaching out to grab one of her wrists. As soon as he did so, she disappeared, his ability coming into effect. He let out a tired whew! dusting his hands off before turning to the fight between Chuuya and I.

Even if Chuuya did outmatch me, I tried to keep fighting him, until he suddenly grabbed me and threw me hard on the ground. I gasped, the wind knocked out of me. "Fuck!" I cursed, struggling to breathe as I tried to stand up. I am forced right back on my knees, a hand pressing on my neck. My anger disappeared, and by then, I knew that it was Dazai.

Now that all my anger, and fury was gone, all I had left was the immeasurable despair that settled in my chest, tears now freely sliding down my cheeks. I couldn't stop my sobbing, feeling the two men's wide eyes on me.

"He was beating her!" I cried out, just desperate for them to hear me out before they passed their judgements on me. "Taichi... was beating Keiko and... I never knew! She's been my best friend ever since I moved here and I never had a clue! Not one! Until that day she called me.. when I was at your place," I glanced at Dazai, lip quivering as I struggled to continue. "I went home and when she came over... I knew something was wrong I... then she took off her clothes and there wasn't an inch of her skin below her neck that wasn't covered in bruises I-"

I choked up, covering my face as I started to sob uncontrollably, the pain of once seeing my friend who was so full of life, looking like a scared, beaten animal as she stood before me. As I cried, Dazai and Chuuya looked at each other, just stunned beyond words.

"I knew..." I spoke up after a moment. "That one of these days, he would actually kill her. That's why she was so afraid to leave him. He was already beating her, and raping her, what would stop him from killing her if she defied him?! Huh?!" Even with Dazai still holding onto the back of my neck, I started to grow angry. "So, I killed him. I killed him before he could have a chance to kill her!" I then stared at Chuuya in his blue eyes. "And I'll do it again."

"After Taichi dropped Keiko off at my apartment, I snuck out through the emergency stairwell and back exit to follow him. The building is old, so I knew there were no cameras."

I carefully kept the hood of my hoodie over my head as I followed Taichi from a distance, a determined look on my face, one that said that I will not stop.

I soon followed him into the alleyway, where I hid behind a dumpster and watched him do his drug deal. He was grinning and laughing, acting smug and it was honestly fucking disgusting.

"I waited until he was completely alone before confronting him. He didn't expect to see me at all."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Taichi demanded, glaring at me. He wasn't that nice, friendly guy he played himself to be anymore. "What the fuck are you doing in Port Mafia business?"

"I honestly don't give a fuck about the Port Mafia. I do give a fuck about Keiko, and you're going to stay the fuck away from her."

He just stared at me, before he threw his head back and laughed loudly. "Okay... okay, stupid bitch. That was kind of funny. Just go back home before--"

"And before he could finish his sentence, my clone stabbed him right in his back."

I watched Taichi fall to the ground, my clone falling on top of him, shrieking as she stabbed him over and over again in a rage filled flurry. There was blood everywhere, some even spraying on my clothes as I watched.

Then, I stepped closer, pulling out my knife and landing one more final blow right in his chest, killing him.

"And he was as good as dead."

"... was Keiko in on this?"

Keiko opened the door to my apartment, letting me rush inside before closing and locking the door. She turned to look at me, eyes wide as she took in the blood on my clothes.

"Did... did you..." she stuttered softly, and I nodded.

"He's dead."

Keiko burst into tears.

"You know the answer to that already."

I was sitting on the ground now, head hung low as I stared at my hands. "I killed someone," I said softly, eyes burning with tears as I clenched my fists. "But when it comes to the people I love... I will do it again. So," I turned to Dazai. "Turn me into the police." I then turned to Chuuya. "Or just shoot me in the fucking head. I'm not strong enough against either of you... I just ask that you keep Keiko out of this. She has suffered far too much already."

I kept my head down, Chuuya and Dazai standing above me. Chuuya had a displeased look on his face, though Dazai's expression looked a bit forlorn.

"You'd do anything to protect your friends," Dazai stated and I looked up at him, looking broken, and small. Dazai gritted his teeth, frowning deeply.

"This is so fucked up," Chuuya grumbled, his mind moving at a mile a second as he rubbed his temples. Taichi was as good as dead anyways, seeing as him stealing from the Port Mafia was punishable by death. So what the hell is he supposed to do now? Chuuya growled in frustration.

"Did you guys..." I started, voice small as a thought plagued my mind. "...know all along...?" I bit my lip, keeping my gaze on the floor. "And when we-"

"It's not what you think," Dazai spoke up, knowing exactly what I was thinking. "You were just sloppy. But I don't blame you for panicking, bella."

"I knew as soon as you brought up the drug deal," Chuuya spoke up and I scoffed, laughing at my own stupidity. "I just wanted to fuck you 'cause of that dress."

Dazai snorted while I couldn't help the short laugh that escaped my mouth despite the situation. I shook my head, sighing deeply. I just decided to accept their answer, as this wasn't the right time to dwell upon my insecurities. I glanced over to the dead body of Taichi's accomplice, thinking he was probably going to die by the Port Mafia's hand anyway.

Dazai followed my gaze, tilting his head a bit as he tapped his chin. "There is no DNA evidence," Dazai recalled and Chuuya narrowed his eyes at him.

"Yeah, so?" he replied, stuffing his hands in his pocket.

"So," Dazai started, glancing over at me still on the ground. "There is no proof of her involvement. Man, just what will I tell the Boss now?!" Dazai threw his hands up dramatically, Chuuya's eye twitching in annoyance.

Still, the Executive kept his mouth shut, taking in the meaning of Dazai's words. Then, he looked over at me, blue eyes staring me down before his lips twitched upwards a bit.

"Oh yeah... I won the race."

-End

tags in replies!!

#bsd x reader #chuuya x reader #dazai x reader #chuuya smut #dazai smut #yeehaw!!!

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madamescarlette · 2 years

Note

1, 2, 3, 4, 30 (also love, love your new icon--it's darling and so are you!)

💖💖💖💖💖💖 THANK you, Grace of Graces!!! All the love to you, my friend! It's finally drawing up to the end of this stormy February so I decided to start transitioning back into my usual form, and I have lots of fondness for this particular picture of her since it's so introspective and pensive, it suits me at present!

1.) A book that drew you in right away.

There are many! In fact I think I've become a bit too intensely focused of a reader, as these days I primarily read by setting aside the 2-3 days off I have per month to sit down and do very little but read straight through from cover to cover of some book or other. I think the books that have done that most in recent memory were The Wicked King, Devil's Cub, and of course A Deadly Education; The Wicked King was because I'd finally crawled through the hard parts of The Cruel Prince that read me a little too closely and I was riding the high of that particular book's ending, and then was promptly subjected to waiting for the sequel for TWO WEEKS while the third book was sitting there staring me in the face 😅 so by the time The Wicked King showed up I was like "oh! I will sit down and read this in full tomorrow once I'm free" and then accidentally peeked inside for a little bit and blinked and it was 2AM. But it was truly worth it I assure you!!

Devil's Cub was because I've been on a self-set goal to read every period piece of Heyer's, and this particular one I thought was going to be a bit of a throw-away as opposed to some of her other books which I love dearly, but then I started it and simply couldn't set it down because I was laughing so much through the comedy of errors in that book! I truly would find everything about that plot unbearable if anyone except Heyer had written it, but because it was her it has both heart and the ability to make me cry-laugh through the last third of the book as it didn't seem it could get any more screwball-silly and yet it DID and it was excellent. And A Deadly Education!! I just know practically everyone in this internet ballroom has been raving about El and her friends for the past year, but we had a snowday last month that enabled me to have two days completely free, and I was able to sit down and read ADE and TLG all in one giant rush and it was MAGNIFICENT.

2.) A book that was difficult to get into, but turned out to be good.

So, I don't always have that much brainspace to set aside for my private reading life when I'm in full swing of my semester, so I tend to gravitate towards novels that I know I'll be able to finish semi-quickly when I'm at my highest productivity-requiring times. That being said, I did struggle a teeny tiny bit getting into the meat of The Goblin Emperor last year, as I hadn't read any proper high fantasy in a long time, even though that used to be my usual playground when I was little. Once you get acclimated to the language though (it is wonderfully well-constructed), it is such an utterly precious gem of a book, very careful in its movements and extremely sweet and kind in its relationships and in fact I still keep it on my nightstand to smile at!!

3.) A popular book that you love.

Also many, I know!!! The Queen's Thief (all of them! especially A Conspiracy of Kings)! The Folk of the Air! Little Women! Persuasion! The Wee Free Men! Howl's Moving Castle! (which I am shamefully late for rereading oh my!)

Though if I was going to pick any book from this list that I want you all to read most particularly, it would be The Wee Free Men because I love it SO much, and when I read it a few years ago it was just what I ought to be reading. I truly want to treasure every Tiffany Aching book because I feel as if they outfit me with so much courage and intent to live with sincerity and honor and I am so glad for that.

4.) A popular book you dislike.

So, I have an unfortunate habit of being a tad bit too forgiving of a reader in recent years I think, because I have wracked my brain trying to come up with an answer for this question and I can't...really recall any? Part of the problem is also just that my taste has gotten rather more obscure of late. She's not really popular, but I've kept trying D.E. Stevenson's books because her writing style is incredibly restful and perfect for me, but they kept leaving bitter aftertastes because she knew how to write an insufferable twenty-something like nobody else. Her most popular books (like Miss Buncle or Celia's House) are all well-written and enjoyable, but left me a little unhappy because the character-work often left me feeling like humans as a whole are weak and selfish. But!! I finally found a book of hers (Charlotte Fairlie) that is darling and perfect for me specifically, so all is well. (Leave it to me to not be able to leave this paragraph on a negative note, huh?)

30.) A fictional book that taught you about/increased your interest in a real-life subject.

I have a lot to thank sci-fi for from the time that I was very small, so of course I have to shout-out A Wrinkle in Time for being semi-formative for me as a little one!! L’Engle is a little more free-handed with her universe than I would be in my own worlds, but I will always have so much love in my heart for how she melded her faith with the wide-reaching universe of her world. The overarching themes of A Wind in the Door are something that have always stuck with me, and are probably part of the reason why I loved biology so much when I was a teenager, which I am very thankful for. To this day, when I am singing around plants I think of Calvin playing music to his own plants, and that is a companionship-thought I am glad to have, let me assure you!!

come ask me bookish questions if you want!

#ask #friends tag #thank you for asking grace <3 hope your saturday evening is treating you alright!

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greycappedjester · 3 years

Note

Ahhhh tomorrow is Halloween!! I’ve been waiting for the new Scooby Doo x Haikyuu fic for months it’s literally the only reason I’ve been so excited for Halloween. Can’t wait to read it!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

(Not quite the full chapter since I promised myself I'd post the next chapter of After the Fall of Olympus first; but, since it's Halloween, here's a big chunk of the next story)

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Some of it I've already posted in previous posts; but, I'm including it here to so it makes since in order

The man looked up at the tiny sliver of moon, the wind whistling through the trees.

“Do we really have to do this at night,” he whispered.

His partner shoved him by the shoulder, urging him forward. “Quit complaining. For the amount of money Hatori’s paying us, I’d spend months in this stupid forest, day or night.”

“Yeah, but…,” There was something scraping against his arms that he told himself was just dead branches, “would it really be so bad if we did this tomorrow morning? We won’t even be able to see the test results like this.”

“Hatori’s paranoid.” His partner shrugged. “Can’t say I blame him with everything else he’s had to deal with. If we do find something, the last thing we want is the Machida bastards finding out about it.” He moved his flashlight, sliding down lower on a rough incline. “Now, grab the kit and get over it.”

Something moved in the trees. Something big.

Both men went still.

The first swallowed. “Was that...was that you?”

“Shh,” his partner mimed, eyes on the forest.

The man tried to laugh. “You don’t….you don’t think there really is--”

“I said ‘shut up’,” he hissed back. “There’s no such thing as witches. There’s only--”

Light shone out from the bushes, the branches rattling and both stopped, hands shaking as a figure slowly took shape in the light.

They raised their flashlights, only to…

Four people screamed.

“What the--,” the new figure shouted, light shone to reveal a woman in a hard hat. She rolled her eyes at her similarly dressed companion. “Nevermind. Ugh, it’s just those guys that Hatori asshole hired!”

“You!” The partner shoved forward. “What are you trying to pull, hiding in the bushes and trying to scare people? Shit, really are taking after your boss, aren’t you?”

“Oh, that’s rich coming from you,” she snapped back, poking at his chest. “Why are you both out here working at night? Got something to hide!”

He huffed. “Us? Why don’t you ask your boss Macida? Unless he’s too busy making up stories about--”

“Um,” the man pulled at his partner’s arm. “Does that look...is that normal?”

Around the group, the shapes of trees were quickly fading against a deep, thick fog. It spilled out from everywhere, slowly covering their feet and their legs.

The woman swallowed. “If this is your idea of a prank, then it’s not going to work.”

“It’s not.” The partner’s shoulders were tense. “We’re not the ones doing this.”

The wind howled against the branches.

…..The scratching sound didn’t seem so natural anymore.

The man waved his flashlight wildly. “I can’t see the path! We were heading in that direction, right? I can’t--”

The light shone against the other side of the path, briefly throwing it into sharp relief.

Crack!

The flashlight dropped, smashing against the ground, and rolled away.

The figure was still there, standing at the end of the path. Long matted hair hanging around a skull-like face that seemed more creature than human. Dark black robes that seemed like they were formed by shadows, sweeping out from the fog.

And the hands…

For the hands, too thin fingers stretched and stretched to form sharp, curving claws.

-------

At a well lit service desk in the park office, Kunimi and Kindachi barely looked up from their card game as screams echoed through the forest.

Kindachi laid down an ace of hearts and strained his neck at the sound of heavy running

The slam of car doors followed along with the revving of engines. Finally, two vans screeched out of the parking lot as fast as they possibly could.

“Which guys were those? Hatori’s or Machida’s?” Kunimi had already grabbed the board.

Kindaichi squinted. “Looked like both.

“Dang, that means it’s still tied.” Kunimi made four marks, two under a column labeled ‘Hatori’ and two under ‘Machida’. He adjusted the total, too. “That makes 16 in three months. I don’t get why they keep sending people?”

“Tell me about it.” Kindaichi snorted. “Only an absolute idiot would go in those woods at night.”

-------

“Camping!” Oikawa sung out, map spread wide over his lap. “The single most exhilarating feeling known to man. A chance to become one with nature, an opportunity for revival, for rejuvenation, for--”

“Take a left up here,” Suga said, leaning forward from the seat partition.

“For you to completely ignore my charm and ingenuity with backseat navigating,” Oikawa finished, glancing briefly down at the map. “Also, no, it’s definitely right!”

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. “Turning right would take us down a cliff.”

“Okay, a bumpy right.”

Iwaizumi went left. “This is why you’re off direction duty.”

“That,” Kuroo piped in, “and the last time we trusted you navigating, you stranded us in the middle of the woods and we had to walk five miles only to end up stuck in legitimately haunted suburbia for three days.”

“Legitimately haunted is probably a misnomer,” Suga offered.

“Exactly. There is no way you can blame me for the fake ghost.” Oikawa shrugged. “Plus, it wasn’t that bad.”

“Yeah!” Bokuto said. “And Kuroo got a date!”

Kuroo smirked like his cheeks hadn’t gone a pleased pink. “Alright, fine, I’ll give it that.” He paused. “I still hesitate to credit anything having to do with Kenma to Oikawa’s map skills, even indirectly. Actually, when it comes to my dating life, I like to pretend none of you exist at all. Think of it like a secret life or a selective memory wipe.”

“Sounds healthy,” Iwaizumi commented dryly.

“Are we there yet?” Bokuto looked around at the forest around them. “It looks like we’re there yet. Is there a river? What about hiking? Oh! Do you think we can do rock climbing? I brought rope!”

“Just rope,” Suga asked.

Bokuto tilted his head. “Yeah? What else do we need?”

“There should be tons of that kind of stuff,” Oikawa said. “Some rich families bought it up a while ago as a private reserve. Now, it’s pretty exclusive for campgrounds--supposed to be gorgeous.”

“How’d we get to come here, then,” Kuroo asked.

“Kunimi and Kindaichi.” Oikawa told him. “Apparently, they got hired here as camp counselors for the summer; used to come here when they were kids. They said it’s always great.”

Kuroo lifted a brow. “Are we supposed to know who Kunimi and Kindachi are?”

Oikawa gasped, hand to his chest. “My mentees! My very own protegees back when I was debate captain last year and you forgot them!” He wiped away a fake tear. “How could you? They were basically my closest friends--ya know other than you guys!”

Kuroo threw his hands up. “You said that about half the school! How does that narrow it down?”

“Kunimi and Kindachi,” Bokuto said, running over the names again. His eyes widened. “Wait, that’s the kid with all the history books and the other one with the hair….” Bokuto gestured at his head, “the turnip hair, right? Those guys!”

Oikawa nodded. “That’s the two! My cute little juniors.” He elbowed Iwaizumi. “Our juniors, technically. Iwa-chan’s still my honorary vice-president. On paper, at least.”

“But, you don’t do debate,” Suga commented, looking at Iwaizumi.

“No,” Iwaizumi sighed, “but Oikawa roped me into it after his last VP got arrested for--”

“Ah,” Oikawa cut him off, “no need to get bogged down with details and old history. The point is that Kunimi and Kindachi love us! Which is why they gave us a heads up on the campground when I told them I was looking for a place.”

“Okay.” Kuroo held up a hand. “So, now with that established, can we all agree that if anything else strange, mysterious, and/or ghost-like happens this time, we give up any and all camping related endeavors for, meh, at least a year. All in favor?”

Suga shrugged. “Sounds good.”

“But...camping…,” Bokuto pouted.

“Absolutely,” Iwaizumi said on principle.

Oikawa huffed, crossing his arms. “There’s not going to be another ghost. That was a once in a lifetime kind of odds. So, fine. Agreed.”

“And we’re here,” Iwaizumi announced.

A hanging wooden sign imperiously proclaimed The Machida-Hatori Family Campgrounds…...right over the visitors’ booth.

Iwaizumi slowed down the van so he could call inside. “Hey, we’re--oh.”

No one was there. And they hadn't been for a long time.

A thin layer of dust clouded the windows, spiderwebs hanging where once there should have been a security guard.

All in all, the place looked deserted.

As one, the car all turned to Oikawa.

“What?” Oikawa reassured breezily. “That’s not a ghost, that’s just bad management.”

“Somehow still not reassuring,” Suga said.

Bokuto beamed, rubbing his hands together. “Maybe that just means it’s super exclusive! Like our own private resort.”

“That’s the spirit,” Kuroo slapped his back, just as Iwaizumi started the van forward to the camp grounds.

“Or they’re just understaffed,” Suga said. “I suppose one of us can try to find the main cabin while the rest of us set up the tents. Just so they know where we are in case something goes wrong.”

“Huh.” Iwaizumi muttered in a complete deadpan, driving deeper into the woods. “What could possibly possibly go wrong?”

-------

Iwaizumi stood completely frozen with a blank kind of horror like he couldn’t quite process the scene laid out in front of him.

Across from him, Oikawa mirrored his expression exactly.

“....Oikawa,” Iwaizumi managed, “what is that thing?”

“What is this thing?!” Oikawa pointed over Iwaizumi’s shoulder. “What is that?!”

“Well,” Suga commented from a few feet over, “this should be interesting.”

“Definitely,” Kuroo said with relish.

“It’s my tent!” Iwaizumi said, clearly affronted.

“That’s not a tent,” Oikawa argued, “it looks like a tarp that got mangled in a woodchipper. Where did you find that thing? Is that the same one from when we were six?!”

The tent to the left had a thin nylon cover stretched tight over the slim metal bones staked shallowly into the ground. All in all, the entire structure looked like it was still standing primarily through Iwaizumi’s own determination rather than any actual structural support.

“Yeah? So?” Iwaizumi folded his arms. “Why would I bring another one when this one works fine?”

Oikawa’s jaw dropped. “It barely survived your backyard! What are you going to do for a sleeping pad?”

“Why would I need one! That’s what the ground’s for!”

Oikawa spluttered with a series of incomprehensible hand gestures.

Kuroo turned to Suga and said idly, “Do you think maybe we shouldn’t have let them pick the tents on their own?”

“Hmm, maybe.” Suga held over a crumpled bag. “Chips?”

Kuroo shrugged, taking one.

“Nevermind my tent!” Iwaizumi shouted. “What is that doing here!”

On the right stood a massive construction of layered fabric and taunt tent lines, pilled high to form a cream colored structure that looked impressively out of place with the surrounding wilderness.

“It’s my tent,” Oikawa said smugly.

“A tent?” Iwaizumi pointed at it. “That’s not a camping tent; that’s like….something you’d see in a home decorating magazine. Not actually used in the woods!”

“It’s called class, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa inspected his nails.

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. “Why did we even bother getting a hotel last town when you packed an actual mansion?”

“It’s camping.” Oikawa huffed. “At least I’m not going to freeze to death. Plenty of room in my tent once you change your mind.”

“Oh please,” Iwaizumi had his hands on his hips. “What’s the point of going camping if you’re barely staying outside?”

“So, you’re saying your way’s better?”

“I know it is.”

“Fine.” Oikawa smiled sharply. “What about about a bet, then?”

“You’re on,” Iwaizumi agreed.

And, together, they both turned to their seemingly forgotten audience.

Suga went still, like a startled rabbit suddenly caught in the crosshair of two snipers. He turned to see Kuroo had utterly disappeared.

“Um….” Suga started

“We’ll split up,” Oikawa said with satisfaction. “Then, at the end of the trip, they can decide which of us is right.”

“Deal,” Iwaizumi turned his head up. “You’re with me, yeah, Suga?”

“Well….,” Suga tried again, looking between the far too fancy tent to the right and the barely standing one to the left. “I suppose...I mean if I have to choose….”

“Besides, weren’t you like a wilderness scout leader for kids,” Iwaizumi continued. “You were always saying how great it was taking a break in nature.”

There was a long pause.

“Oh. Right.” Suga said sheepishly before regrouping. “...which is why--since I’m already biased towards, um, the wilderness--it’s probably only fair that I see how the other side does it; which means I should go with--”

“Just finished setting up my sleeping bag, roomie.” Kuroo walked out of the tent, clapping Oikawa’s shoulder. Then, he turned and looked innocently at Suga. “Sorry, what were you saying?”

Suga met his eyes. “Traitor.”

Kuroo smirked, handing him back the chip bag. “I prefer opportunist. You have a real good time now, alright?”

“Dead to me,” Suga muttered.

“So, it’s settled,” Oikawa announced, hands on his hips. “Kuroo and I take camping my way while you and Suga do your own thing. We decide at the end which is better.”

There was a crunch of twigs and they turned.

“Hey, guys,” Bokuto stepped up, “found the main cabin. Did I miss anything? Oh, cool, you already got the tents set up! Nice!”

“Bo,” Kuroo called out, “pick a tent: want to room with me and Oikawa or them?”

Bokuto shrugged. “I thought I’d just sleep outside.”

They all stared at him.

“What?” Bokuto grinned. “I like the stars. Plus, the air’s fresher that way.”

A beat.

Oikawa pointed at Iwaizumi. “That doesn’t count. If he’s not staying in your ‘tent’, you don’t get his vote.”

Iwaizumi had already started to look smug.

“Come on, guys,” Kuroo pushed them both forward, one hand guiding Oikawa while the other landed on Iwaizumi’s shoulder, “none of that yet. Let’s head to the main cabin, put aside our differences, and focus on the important things.”

Bokuto nodded. “Friendship.”

“Cell service,” Kuroo corrected. “I’ve checked everywhere and I can barely find one bar, much less wi-fi.”

“It’s the woods,” Iwaizumi said, sounding out every single word individually as if that would hammer it in for all of them.

“Yeah, which--trust me--I’ll make sure to appreciate as a scenic background during my video date with Kenma tomorrow,” Kuroo said. “But, until then, I’m gonna need it to be the woods with some fantastic streaming service.”

“Iwaizumi’s right,” Suga said. “I doubt any of us will have much connection out here.” He slid a look up at Kuroo. “Don’t worry, though, just think about it as a wonderful chance to disconnect from modern luxuries.”

Kuroo eyed him. “You’re still mad about the tent thing aren’t you?”

Suga whistled sweetly, continuing on.

Kuroo leaned over to Oikawa and whispered under his breath. “Anything in that fancy tent of yours that’ll help?”

Oikawa nodded once. “Definitely, I don’t know what some of it even does.”

“We’re going to be such a great team this trip. Just watch,” Kuroo told him.

Another fifteen minute walk led them to a two story log cabin, the sign for the main desk and a gravel parking lot spread out beside it. The whole place had a cozy modern feel to it, lit warm by the setting sun.

“There,” Oikawa held his hands out. “Totally not deserted or creepy in any way. I told you guys.”

“You’re going to jinx us,” Suga warned him.

“Oh please,” Oikawa rolled his eyes, “no such things as jinxes just like there’s no such thing as ghosts. Just a perfectly normal camping trip with nothing supernatural going on at all.”

He pushed the cabin door open.

“Kunimi! Kindachi!” Oikawa called out, arms wide while Iwaizumi gave a much more casual greeting nod beside him. “Miss me already?”

Both teenagers behind the front desk jumped before jerking their heads over to look at Oikawa with wide eyes.

Kunimi twisted his head to Kindachi, hissing out: “I thought you were supposed to tell him!”

“I--,” Kindachi stuttered out. “I did! Last week, I emailed him! I swear!”

Oikawa raised a brow. “Suffice to say, last week was a bit….busy for us. Long story, weird story, tell you about it later. Point is--what’s up with you two? And why are you staring at me like you saw a ghost?” He gave a flat look over at Suga. “Which is ridiculous, of course. Since there are no and have never been any ghosts.”

“Jinx,” Suga mouthed back at him.

“Well, no...no ghosts,” Kindachi agreed, exchanging a look with Kunimi. “It’s just, uh...we may have a recent problem with….not that we believe in this stuff, yeah?....it’s just there have been multiple sightings and….so it might not be the best place to stay, what with the….the….um…..”

Iwaizumi stared him down. “The what?”

“The witch,” Kindachi finished weakly.

“The WHAT?!” Bokuto shouted. “What witch? Where’s a witch? Which witch?”

“Who witch,” Kuroo finished only for Suga to elbow him. “Ow!”

Kunimi sighed.

“The Fox Witch of Messick Forest,” Kunimi told them. “Apparently she’s come back.”

#investigations inc

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